Regional
Iranians to hold farewell ceremony for Ayatollah Khamenei in Tehran
The public will be permitted to pay their respects, with commemorations expected to continue for three days. Details of the funeral procession are expected to be announced at a later stage.
Iranians are set to gather in Tehran on Wednesday night to bid farewell to the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, following his reported death in weekend airstrikes attributed to Israel and the United States, according to Iranian state media.
Hojjatoleslam Mahmoudi, head of Iran’s Islamic Propagation Council, announced that the farewell ceremony will begin at 10 p.m. local time at the Imam Khomeini Prayer Hall in the capital.
The public will be permitted to pay their respects, with commemorations expected to continue for three days. Details of the funeral procession are expected to be announced at a later stage, Reuters reported.
Images circulating from Tehran show makeshift memorials set up across the city, with citizens gathering to mourn the longtime leader, who was 86. Authorities have called on the public to attend the ceremony in large numbers.
Khamenei, who led Iran for more than three decades, was a central figure in shaping the country’s domestic and foreign policy, maintaining a firm stance against both the United States and Israel.
Iranian state media reported that he was killed on Saturday in joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes, a development that has dramatically escalated tensions in the region.
The reported killing marks a pivotal moment for Iran, raising questions about succession, internal stability, and the broader geopolitical consequences for the Middle East.